| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | |
Europe or America?Interest forums / Travel on a shoestring | ||
Hey, guys and girls! So.... The America Route: The Europa Route: Tips, suggestions, anything. Would be much appreciated. | ||
Europe is safer. | 1 | |
Around $4000 in what kind/nation money? good luck. Europe is a better cross section view of the world. | 2 | |
Is that US$4000? For everything?...flights,insurance,visas, plus accommodation,local transport,food and activities? Where exactly are you flying from? | 3 | |
Norway is very expensive even by general European standards. To have any chance of seeing the Northern Lights you will need to go to the north of the country, and it is a very long journey. There is absolutely no guarantee of seeing the Northern Lights. It's something that one takes a chance on seeing if one happens to be in the area anyway, but going hundreds of miles out of your way with only a slight chance of seeing them is a pointless idea, especially if you are short of money. Your destinations in Europe are very widely spread out, and not all of them are in Europe anyway. Sweden is a large country. Where in Sweden does your friend live? Norway and Sweden are next to each other, as are France and Spain. Where in France? I assume you mean Paris, for the Eiffel Tower and Catacombs. But France is a long way from Scandinavia, and the only practical way to go from Sweden to France is by air. Then again, where in Spain is your friend? Perhaps he/she could meet you in France if your only objective is to meet your friend. Morocco is in Africa. Why are you thinking of going all the way to Casablanca? Because of the movie? Then from Morocco to Greece is a very long way and you would need to fly. I have no idea whether there are direct flights. There are no ferries from Greece to Israel. You would again have to fly. Tips and suggestions will come when you have done a lot more homework. At the moment it is just a random list of places that you appear to have read or heard about. It’s not an itinerary. I can’t comment on the America suggestions. I had never heard of either the Oregon Vortex or the Winchester Mystery House, so I had a look on Google It is a completely ridiculous idea to travel halfway around the world to see two “haunted houses”. These are things that you might take the time to see if you are in the area. I can’t imagine anyone travelling all the way from Asia (wherever in Asia you are) just for that. OK, we all have different interests. I like steam railways. But I wouldn’t go thousands of miles just to spend an hour riding on a steam railway. Since you say you are short of money you need to scale back. How long is “some months”? And I am also asking, what kind of dollars? And does it include your flights from Asia? Moving around as much as you want to do will cost a huge amount of money. | 4 | |
Op, you need to prioritise your dreams. | 5 | |
people should think about what they want to gain from their trips. | 6 | |
It is US$4000, and it is meant for Visas, Accommodations, Local transport, Food and Activities. Plane tickets are something else... Now, allow me to say Thanks for the always fast, always great answers! Hah, as much as it pains me to say. Since the odds of going to Europe are more against me and I got a promise to fulfill in June in Cuba. I guess I will be heading down the America route this time. And now that I've decided on going to the America route. | 7 | |
Slow down reagen. Your 'America Route' as shown: -USA (The Oregon Vortex, Winchester Mystery House) Is not going to happen on $4000. Even if you pay for all flights between countries outside of your $4k, it isn't going to happen. You might manage the Cayman islands and Cuba for 2 weeks on your $4k and not much else. You say nothing about total time you plan for this but if you use $100 per day as a ballpark average including only local transport within a country, you would have enough for 40 days. In the USA and the Cayman islands you would be lucky to get by on that amount per day. | 8 | |
Yep. Well, cuts are to be made. | 9 | |
With $4000 you could manage 3 months in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, travelling cheaply. I haven't been to Cuba, but think it is more expensive than those places. So if you really want to go to Cuba, you will have less time away in total, but you could still visit Cuba AND spend some time in S America. It depends really whether your priority is to stay away for as long as possible, or to visit specific places. | 10 | |
It isn't really that easy to move between S. America and the islands you mention. Nor is it easy to move between them. Try looking for flights between Cancun, Cuba and the Caymans. You are trying to combine areas that while they would seem geographically easy enough to combine, are not on popular air routes. Do S. America or do a little of the Caribbean or do a little of the USA or a little of Europe but don't try to combine any of those. | 11 | |
Your new idea of the Yucatan and Cuba is a good one, plenty of cheap flights from Cancun to Havana and your money will mean being able to spend enough time. Yes Cuba can be expensive but you'll be fine for 10 days. I know virtually nothing of the Caymans so can't comment on that. For what it's worth - Europe might generally be safer but the Americas are far from being very dangerous places. Sure some neighbourhoods in some big cities are to be avoided but the same is true of Europe. | 12 | |
Thanks for giving me more input, guys. | 13 | |
AFAIK you can get them at the airport in Cancun (at least,you could a few years ago...maybe ask on the Mexico or Cuba branch?) That sounds like a pretty healthy budget for Cuba..depends how you want to live and what you want to do of course,but I know someone who was there last year and spent about US$100 a day... | 14 | |
If I were you, with this budget, I'd fly into San José, Costa Rica, then bus it all the way up to Mexico with Tica Bus (stop in Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras) and find the cheapest one way flight from Mexico to Lima, Peru (paid 450dol last year with Aeromexico, direct flight). Then I'd spend the rest of my money in Peru and Bolivia, where it will last the longest. Forget about Brasil and Cuba where you'd blow your budget in no time. Focus instead on cheap destinations and you'll have the time of your life! | 15 | |
In Europe you could get by on that budget a lot easier if you avoid the western part and visit Eastern Europe instead. | 16 | |
How come your budget does not include flights? Is someone else paying for them? Otherwise I don't really get it, I've seen people reason this way before, but never understood the logic. $100-$140 per day in Cuba sounds crazy to me. When I went it was much much cheaper, given it was a few years ago, but still. The more you can buy with moneda nacional (local currency) the cheaper it gets. I got my tourist cards at the airport in Cancun through the travel agent. Do check the current situation though as it might have changed! Why Caymans? How about Belize and Guatemala instead? These countries are GREAT and cheap to go to from Mexico. It's up to you. You can go somewhere expensive and blow your budget in a few weeks, or go somewhere cheap and stay for longer. And since you mention that you want to travel for a few months... Btw, if you're Indonesian, do you have visas already for these countries? Mexico, USA, Europe, etc. | 17 | |
Hello, Max! To answer your question, Yes. Someone is paying for my flights. XD Good to hear the good words about Cuba. Will check further about the Tourist Card. As for VISA, got me a USA Visa. And I asked the embassy, it seems it also gives me access to Mexico. And Pepcfb, sounds like a great illitenary!!! I got nothing but time, so bus sounds great! Will look into it...I still have to go to Cuba, though. Wow. You guys are giving me much more homework this weekend with all this comments. I cannot thank you enough!! And please keep it coming, I'm more and more convinced I will get me a good trip everyday I look at this thread! For now Have a nice day, people! | 18 | |
Mexico yes, but how about other countries? Cayman, Guatemala, etc?
I haven't been to Cayman, but I think they have European prices, or even more expensive! As a very rough estimate, Belize is half the price of Cayman, and Guatemala is half the price of Belize (a 4th of Cayman)? | 19 | |
Cuba can be inexpenisve if you stay in homestays. If you can find someone to share the room with all the better as most are priced per room and not per person. Nicaragua and Guatemala are also inexpensive. You can get a shared room in a hostel for about $10, private rooms can be found for under $20 and food is cheap. There is lots to see and do in both countries. Costa Rica is one of the more expensive countries in Central America. Most of what you can find in Costa Rica can be found in Nicaragua but with a far less structured tourist infrastructure. Look for places to stay that have shared kitchen facilities (or at least a fridge in your room) and you can save a lot on meals by making your own. I bring a steripen which is a UV light water purifier so I don't need to buy bottled water. In just over a minute I can drink the tap water. Get a good guidebook for the areas you decide to go to. Look on this forum and others such as trip advisor for other people's experiences. There are a travel blogs out there by budget travellers who managed Central America on $30/day. One option for covering a lot of ground is to join up with a budget tour for some of the time. There are some out there for Central America and Cuba for under $100/day. The advantage of that is often they will assign you a roommate, look after all the transportation and lodging but allow you to do what you want at each destination. You also get a travel guide who knows about the area you are at so you don't waste time and money on things that don't interest you or go on expensive side trips when there may be a less expensive option out there. Tours only will be of use if they go where you want to go. The United States is a big place and expensive to get around. If you have a means of transportation (able to rent a car), you can camp in national and state parks for a reasonable price. However, you would need to pick what area you want to see as you can't manage the whole country in one trip. The other means of ground transportation is by bus. The intercity buses often drop you off at the edge of the city or in an industrial area so you are on your own to get around. Most of the cities have good transit systems (bus and/or subway/train) but a lot of small towns have nothing other than taxis. In Peru, if you wanted to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Pichu you need to buy the tickets long in advance as they sell out quickly depending on the season. You have to go with a licensed tour company. That 4 days alone will cost a minimum of $500. The other hikes in the area don't need to be booked as far ahead. Have fun on your trip. Regardless of where you end up you will have a memorable time. | 20 | |
Kayak05, thanks for all the tips and the nice words. And, btw...does anyone know if there are other cheaper ways to go from Dallas or Los Angeles (Whichever is cheaper) to Cancun? The flights are around US$200. Bus? | 21 | |
You can fly nonstop Dallas-Cancun for $111 with Spirit on a good day (add luggage fees though! unlike other airlines, they charge even for carry-on). LA-Cancun for $200 sounds reasonable. You can bus it all the way down, but I doubt it'd end up cheaper.... Although if you book in advance you can make it to Mexico for like $2 with Greyhound :) I did that last year from Nuevo Laredo (Mexico) to Dallas. Going overland would allow you to visit some other places on the way if that's of interest (Austin, San Antonio, Monterrey, Veracruz, etc). | 22 | |
I would double and triple check about the US visa giving you access to Mexico. That sounds very odd to me, but then they may have some kind of bilateral deal. Also when Kayak05 suggests that you need to take a tour for the Inca Trail. It's not so much a suggestion as a statement. The days when you could just do the Inca Trail by yourself are long gone (almost 10 years now I believe). So if you want to do the Inca Trail you'll have to book yourself on a tour - and do it early as permits run out fast. | 23 | |
If you take a bus into Mexico, you'd better wear kevlar skivvies. Take a cheap flight. It may be difficult... to re-enter the U.S. | 24 | |
Nah, that's an exaggeration. That particular border crossing (Laredo/Nuevo Laredo) I entered around midnight. I've also entered at other borders many many times; Cd. Juarez, Mexicali, Tecate, Tijuana. Never experienced or seen anything bad (except a small extortion in Tijuana, but no shootings, and actually one robbery at gunpoint in Cuernavaca but that was not at the border, oh, and I was robbed by four police officers in Acapulco I guess but again no shootings and at night and far from the border). Anyway, the general consensus (from people who know) is that as long as you enter during daytime hours and don't trade dr[u|]gs, you'll be fine.
?? what do you mean and why? | 25 | |
Hey, guys... It has been a long time. But finally the time has come for me to look around for tickets. So, here I am again to ask you guys yet another question: Are there any USA port that is popular for reaching Havana? Thus I can get cheaper price? Or a direct to Cuba from any USA port is just too expensive? Is going through Yucatan/Cancun really is the best way? I have mentioned LA and Chicago in my old posts. But circumstances has changed, and now I am faced with infinite choices of USA Airports to choose from. :) That, or I go through Japan...if nothing is cheaper. Again, I am hoping you guys would come to my rescue and give me some more valuable insights. I am looking forward to it, and as always...it is most appreciated. Thanks anyway. REAGEN P.S: All the above are round trip prices. I just want to know how crazy things can get, and maybe prepare for it! | 26 | |
Check skyscanner and kayak. | 27 | |
yes. those two let you handicap 3 days b4 or after target leave home date. first flight in the morning is chaepest. Usually Tuesdy. Nobody wants to pannic rush to airport. :) | 28 | |
Which exactly are the countries you are planning to go to now? Why are you looking for return tickets to Cuba if you plan to go to all these other countries? And when and for how long are you planning to go? Why is Jakarta-Osaka-Havana $2200 when Jakarta-Havana is $2700? Is this if you buy flights separately? You need to be a little bit more detailed for us to hep you. You won't be able to fly from the US direct to Cuba, I think. Cheapest way I know is from Mexico. I know some airlines fly fairly cheaply from Europe, like Condor, you might want to look into that. But in that case, I guess you'd want a one-way to Cuba and then fly on to Mexico or something, right? That makes things a bit more complicated. From Jakarta, if you want to get to North America, look into flying to Los Angeles or San Francisco. Look into catching a cheap Air Asia or something to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and flying from there instead. If you are planning to travel during summer (Jun-Aug), note that tickets tend to be more expensive. If you are planning to travel during spring like you said initially, well spring is now, so that might mean you're looking at last minute tickets which also tend to be more expensive. | 29 | |
As always, Thanks for coming to my rescue. Well, the plan now is to get a Round Trip Tickets to Cuba. I'll spend a week or two in Cuba, and then off to Yucatan. Maybe also Belize, Guatemala and more as long as my money holds. And when the date comes, I'll be heading back to Cuba and then fly home. I figure that is the simplest and cheapest way. I would love to do a one way trip to all the places, but I've been looking at SkyScanner and One way to anywhere is more expensive than round trips. As for the ticket prices in details (Both in Round Trips): I've also tried putting up a one-way through USA, and after trying JKT/SIN/KL and SF/LA, this is the cheapest I can get: But...... Max, mind telling me a good country in Europe to go with? So I can try it? I'm thinking France right now. But I guess you know better! :) Lastly, I am planning to go ASAP in May. I hope I can sort this all out by next week. Then maybe I'll buy the tickets and depart 2 weeks after that. Or 1 week if I am lucky. The prices above are done by searching May and July (Trying to come back before the middle of July). | 30 | |
OK, got my tickets!! An open Return ticket from Singapore to Havana, valid for 1 month for $1800. I have to wait from 10 hours to 1 day in France and some 3 other European Countries, but it's OK. I want to sincerely thank everybody who helped me along in planning this trip and keeping up with my un-decisiveness. I wouldn't have made it this far without all your help. And I have to say I learned a lot along the way. I cannot wait till June 5 when the adventure begin.... And to you all, Thanks again...and all the best!! | 31 | |
Congrats on your adventure. Take your time moving on. Street sense and serendipity rule. | 32 | |